METAMORPHEUS

As Steve Hackett mentioned, this is a musical expression of the legend of Orpheus and his passage through the Underworld. This album represents his second orchestral album and fifth classical album overall. As the musical approach is classical music, Hackett uses nylon guitar (classical guitar) as his main instrument, backed with the eight-piece orchestra. The Underworld Orchestra provides full support of Hackett's interpretation. Those of you who are classical guitar freaks would benefit much from this album as Steve Hackett blends his guitar virtuosity with orchestra arrangement. This album might not serve well for those of you who like heavy rhythm music like prog metal. The music flows seamlessly from one track to another. When I spin it I didn't realize that it's already track 4 "One Real Power" without going noticed.

"The Dancing Ground" starts off with excellent string arrangement. You might imagine yourself enjoying a honeymoon at Venice while listening to this music. Hackett's guitar insert only happens in the middle of the track. Show this music to your wife, I think she would like it and ask you to go to Venice for a second honeymoon holiday! It's quite nice, I'm telling you. "The Vast Life" is the longest song from this album and you still might consider that this is a logical continuation of previous romantic track "The Dancing Ground". This time, Hackett demonstrates his expertise in dancing his fingers at the nylon strings of his acoustic guitar. The string only serves as background to accentuate the nuance that he is trying to shape. "Under The World - Orpheus Looks Back" is a bit dark music with soft orchestration. My best favorite track is "Severance" (3:04) where the string section plays dynamically. It's a great arrangement, I believe. "Elegy" (3:17) is a nice song as well, backed with touchy orchestra melody. The concluding track "Lyra" (6:35) is an excellent outfit as well. The interaction between nylon guitar and string section happens beautifully.

Overall, this is a very good* classical and orchestral work by Steve Hackett. This album serves very well for those who want to enjoy classical-based music through acoustic instruments: guitar and string section. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

*) On a "right" mood, you might find that this album is a "masterpiece" - especially for those of you who have grown up with classical music.